While some folks will inevitably remain hung up on who the Miami Hurricanes weren’t able to reel in on National Signing Day, fact remains that overall needs were met—especially defensively.
Fourth-year head coach Al Golden and staff pulled together and inked 26 players for 2014, with a huge emphasis on defensive line—the ultimate weakest link for “The U” the past several years.
In the end, Miami didn’t land everyone it chased down, but still added seven solid defensive linemen—many of which should have an immediate impact this fall.
While defensive tackle Travonte Valentine wound up choosing LSU over UM on Wednesday, the Hurricanes held strong to big time defensive ends Chad Thomas and Demetrius Jackson, as well as JUCO transfer Michael Wyche—who temporarily decommitted over an obscure ACC transfer rule, but in the end chose to honor his commitment to “The U”.
Miami also received signed letters of intent from quality defensive tackles Anthony Moten and Courtel Jenkins, while end Trent Harrisand JUCO transfer tackle Calvin Heurtelou are early enrollees, in the system and getting acclimated over the past few weeks.
Moten is a beast of a tackle while Thomas is one of the best ends in the nation. Jackson has tremendous upside—as do Harris and Jenkins—and JUCO transfers Wyche and Heurtelou possess the man-weight and experience to compete immediately.
While Miami’s influx of new talent must prove itself this fall, the Hurricanes need zero proof regarding where the defense went off track the past few seasons—a maligned defensive line.
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